BASN HBCU Top Ten Football Poll: Week 10

NEW HAVEN, Ct. — For the first time all season, there’s a new No. 1 team sitting atop BASN’s HBCU Football Top Ten. Following Hampton’s 13-6 loss to South Carolina State over the weekend, the Eagles of N.C. Central (8-0, 5-0 CIAA) are the new top black college football team in the land.

NCCU’s 31-21 victory over Langston College last Saturday gave the defending CIAA champions their first 8-0 start since 1941. The Eagles have won 25 of their last 28 games and has lost just two CIAA contests since 2003.

A win this Saturday against Livingstone would clinch a second straight Western Division title for the Eagles and they’d become the first squad in school history to start a season 9-0.

As for this past weekend, several teams in BASN’s HBCU Top 10 took a tumble. Those losses are reflected in this week’s poll as many teams when up and down the Top 10.

The rest of the top five has Elizabeth City (6-1) moving from five to number two, previous No. 1 Hampton (7-1) falling to third, Lane College (7-1) went from No. 7 to No. 4, and Delaware State (5-2) jumping from eighth to fifth.

The Hampton loss has put the logjam on top of the MEAC standings. The Pirates, South Carolina State, and Delaware State are all tied for the top spot. The Hornets, who defeated Morgan State 29-7 Saturday, will host the Bulldogs in a MEAC showdown this Saturday.

The bottom five of this week’s poll features Virginia Union (6-2), who jumped from ninth to sixth; Johnson C. Smith (6-2) went from tenth to seventh, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (4-3) makes its debut in this week’s poll at number eight followed by Alabama A&M (5-2) at ninth, and Albany State in at number 10.

Mo Forte’s squad will host Jackson State in a key SWAC contest this Saturday.

Other games of note matching teams in BASN’s Top Ten this weekend include: Alabama State meeting Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic in Birmingham; Virginia Union at Bowie State; Hampton hosting Winston-Salem State; and Lane College hosting Fort Valley State.